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84-422: Pundalik was one of the earliest Kundalini Yoga practitioners. As he was considered to be a master of Kundalini Yoga, people used to call him "Kundalik". Later, after several years, Kundalik was known as Pundalik, which was used to symbolize Kundalini energy in the form of Vitthala (also known as Panduranga ). Pandharpur 's Vitthala was an incarnation of Vishnu or Krishna . According to legends, it also depicts

168-617: A High Court Judge in Calcutta , he studied Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy, particularly as it related to Hindu Tantra . He translated numerous original Sanskrit texts and lectured on Indian philosophy , Yoga and Tantra. His book, The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga became a major source for many modern Western adaptations of Kundalini yoga practice. It presents an academically and philosophically sophisticated translation of, and commentary on, two key Eastern texts: Shatchakranirūpana (Description and Investigation into

252-517: A calf. Bahinabai reports a spiritual encounter with the calf. The calf, in Varkari literature, symbolises a person who has attained the highest state of yogic concentration in the previous birth, but due to some fault, is forced to take birth as a calf. The calf followed Bahinabai wherever she went. Bahiabai with the calf also attended the Kirtana of the famed swami Jayaram. Jayaram patted heads of

336-399: A daughter, who she named Kasibai. But, she was distressed and mediated suicide. Tukaram in her vision, stopped her and blessed her with poetic powers and prophesied that she would have a son who was a companion in her previous birth, thus Bahinabai is believed to have started composition of poetry, the first of which were dedicated to Vithoba. Consequently, she had a son, who she named Vithoba,

420-528: A half coils. Swami Vivekananda describes Kuṇḍalinī briefly in his book Raja Yoga as follows: According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingalâ and Idâ, and a hollow canal called Sushumnâ running through the spinal cord. At the lower end of the hollow canal is what the Yogis call the "Lotus of the Kundalini". They describe it as triangular in a form in which... there

504-508: A latter-day scholar on Kuṇḍalinī and its physical basis, and a former member of the Theosophical Society . According to Carl Jung "the concept of Kundalini has for us only one use, that is, to describe our own experiences with the unconscious". Jung used the Kundalini system symbolically as a means of understanding the dynamic movement between conscious and unconscious processes. According to Shamdasani, Jung claimed that

588-407: A letter to Vithoba, her son, who had gone to Shukeshwar to perform last rites of his wife. On her death-bed, Bahinabai told Vithoba (her son) that he had been her son throughout her twelve previous births and also in her current (thirteenth) birth, which she believed was her last. Further, she narrated the tale of her twelve previous births, which are recorded in her autobiography. She died in 1700, at

672-487: A master, the awakening of the kundalini cannot take anyone very far on the Path; and such indiscriminate or premature awakening is fraught with dangers of self-deception as well as the misuse of powers. The kundalini enables man to consciously cross the lower planes and it ultimately merges into the universal cosmic power of which it is a part, and which also is at times described as kundalini ... [but it] cannot dispense with

756-499: A new form of comparative psychology opened up." The American writer William Buhlman began to conduct an international survey of out-of-body experiences in 1969 in order to gather information about symptoms: sounds, vibrations and other phenomena that commonly occur at the time of the OBE event. His primary interest was to compare the findings with reports made by yogis such as Gopi Krishna who have referred to similar phenomena, such as

840-436: A secret astral passage, the coiled way of the kundalini in the coccygeal plexus, and upward through the sacral, the lumbar, and the higher dorsal, cervical, and medullary plexuses, and the spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, to reveal finally the soul's presence in the highest center (Sahasrara) in the brain. Krishnamacharya, often called the "father of modern yoga", described kuṇḍalinī differently. To him, Kuṇḍalinī

924-456: A sign of madness, while others considered it a mark of sainthood. Bahinabai's husband dissuaded her by saying that she being of a Brahmin, should not listen to the lower caste Shudra Tukaram. However, Bahinabai did not find happiness in the life of a dutiful wife and turns to bhakti , at the same time serving her husband. As her fame spread, her husband is portrayed to have been jealous of the attention Bahinabai received. Her hot-tempered husband

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1008-414: A variety of methods. Many systems of yoga focus on awakening kuṇḍalinī through: meditation , pranayama , the practice of asana , and chanting of mantras . Kundalini yoga is influenced by Shaktism and Tantra schools of Hinduism. It derives its name from its focus upon the awakening of kundalini energy through regular practice of mantra , Tantra , yantra , asanas or meditation . When kundalini

1092-407: A woman's body is so harmful, How in this world will I reach Truth?" At times, Bahinabai's abhangas call out to her god Vithoba (Panduranga, Hari) to help her to balance her twin roles. Bahinabai's wisdom can be summed up in her words as: "A woman's body is a body controlled by somebody else. Therefore the path of renunciation is not open to her." Bahinabai's philosophy reveals the social status of

1176-468: Is shaktipat where one individual's Kuṇḍalinī is awakened by another who already has the experience. Shaktipat only raises Kuṇḍalinī temporarily but gives the student an experience to use as a basis. The twentieth century yogi and mystic Gopi Krishna , who helped to bring the concept of Kuṇḍalinī to the Western world, stated that As the ancient writers have said, it is the vital force or prana which

1260-474: Is "the innate intelligence of embodied Consciousness". The first possible mention of the term is in the Tantrasadbhāva-tantra (eighth century), though other earlier tantras mention the visualization of Shakti in the central channel and the upward movement of prana or vital force (which is often associated with Kuṇḍalinī in later works). According to David Gordon White, this feminine spiritual force

1344-406: Is a Varkari female-saint from Maharashtra , India. She is considered as a disciple of another Varkari poet-saint Tukaram . Having been born in a Brahmin family, Bahinabai was married to a widower at a young age and spent most of her childhood wandering around Maharashtra along with her family. She describes, in her autobiography Atmamanivedana , her spiritual experiences with a calf and visions of

1428-486: Is a form of divine feminine energy (or Shakti ) believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the muladhara . It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra , where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the Goddess. This energy in the body, when cultivated and awakened through tantric practice, is believed to lead to spiritual liberation . Kuṇḍalinī

1512-510: Is a power called the Kundalini, coiled up. When that Kundalini awakens, it tries to force a passage through this hollow canal, and as it rises step by step, as it were, layer after layer of the mind becomes open... When it reaches the brain, the Yogi is perfectly detached from the body and mind; the soul finds itself free. ... The left is the Ida, the right Pingala, and that hollow canal which runs through

1596-466: Is a type of religious experience within the Hindu tradition, within which it is held to be a kind of "cosmic energy" that accumulates at the base of the spine . When awakened, kuṇḍalinī is described as rising up from the muladhara chakra , through the central nadi (called sushumna ) inside or alongside the spine reaching the top of the head. The progress of kuṇḍalinī through the different chakras

1680-404: Is advised to follow the path in an open-hearted manner. Kuṇḍalinī is considered to occur in the chakra and nadis of the subtle body . Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics and with proper training, moving Kuṇḍalinī through these chakras can help express or open these characteristics. Kuṇḍalinī is described as a sleeping, dormant potential force in the human organism. It

1764-436: Is also termed bhogavati, which has a double meaning of "enjoyment" and "coiled" and signifies her strong connection to bliss and pleasure, both mundane physical pleasure and the bliss of spiritual liberation ( moksha ), which is the enjoyment of Shiva's creative activity and ultimate union with the Goddess. In the influential Shakta tradition called Kaula, Kuṇḍalinī is seen as a "latent innate spiritual power", associated with

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1848-462: Is associated with the goddess Parvati or Adi Parashakti , the supreme being in Shaktism , and with the goddesses Bhairavi and Kubjika . The term, along with practices associated with it, was adopted into Hatha Yoga in the 9th century. It has since then been adopted into other forms of Hinduism as well as modern spirituality and New Age thought. Kuṇḍalinī awakenings are said to occur by

1932-500: Is awakened spontaneously or without guidance it can lead to kundalini syndrome which sometimes presents as psychosis . The concept of Kuṇḍalinī is mentioned in the Upanishads (9th – 7th centuries BCE). The Sanskrit adjective kuṇḍalin means "circular, annular". It is mentioned as a noun for "snake" (in the sense of "coiled") in the 12th-century Rajatarangini chronicle (I.2). Kuṇḍa (a noun meaning "bowl, water-pot"

2016-533: Is believed to achieve different levels of awakening and a mystical experience , until Kundalini finally reaches the top of the head, Sahasrara or crown chakra , producing a profound transformation of consciousness. Swami Sivananda Saraswati of the Divine Life Society stated in his book Kundalini Yoga that "Supersensual visions appear before the mental eye of the aspirant, new worlds with indescribable wonders and charms unfold themselves before

2100-477: Is either prepared or unprepared. According to Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is usually required beforehand. Yoga and Tantra propose that Kuṇḍalinī can be awakened by a guru (teacher), but body and spirit must be prepared by yogic austerities, such as pranayama , or breath control, physical exercises, visualization, and chanting. The student

2184-599: Is found as the name of a Nāga (serpent deity) in Mahabharata 1.4828). The 8th-century Tantrasadbhava Tantra uses the term kundalī , glossed by David Gordon White as "she who is ring-shaped". The use of kuṇḍalī as a name for Goddess Durga (a form of Shakti ) appears often in Tantrism and Shaktism from as early as the 11th century in the Śaradatilaka . It was adopted as a technical term in Hatha yoga during

2268-529: Is not an energy that rises: it is a blockage that prevents prāṇa vāyu (breath) from entering the suṣumnā and rising. This interpretation came partly from his own experience and partly from teachings of two sects of Vishnu-worshiping temple priests. Sir John Woodroffe (1865–1936) – also known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon – was a British Orientalist whose published works stimulated a far-reaching interest in Hindu philosophy and Yogic practices. While serving as

2352-432: Is one of the components of an esoteric description of the " subtle body ", which consists of nadis (energy channels), chakras (psychic centres), prana (subtle energy), and bindu (drops of essence). Kuṇḍalinī is described as being coiled up at the base of the spine. The description of the location can vary slightly, from the rectum to the navel. Kuṇḍalinī is said to reside in the triangular sacrum bone in three and

2436-471: Is reported to have abused, beaten and confined Bahinabai to the cattle-shed. When all methods fail to deter her, he decided to leave Bahinabai, who was three months pregnant at the time. However, he could not do so as he suffered a burning limbs sensation lasting a month, on the day of departure. Finally, he repented and was convinced of Bahinabai's faith and devotion to God. At the same time, Bahinabai realised her neglect of her husband and decided "serving him

2520-524: Is situated on the banks of the Chandrabhaga. The description of Krishna resembles the characteristics of the Pandharpur image of Vithoba. The second version of the legend depicts Vithoba appearing before Pundalik as the five-year-old Bala Krishna (infant Krishna). This version is found in manuscripts of both Puranas, Prahlada Maharaj, and the poet-saints, notably Tukaram. The remaining version of

2604-549: Is spread over both the macrocosm, the entire Universe, and the microcosm, the human body... The atom is contained in both of these. Prana is life-energy responsible for the phenomena of terrestrial life and for life on other planets in the universe. Prana in its universal aspect is immaterial. But in the human body, ...The brain is alive only because of Prana... an enlightened person ... [becomes] compassionate and more detached. There would be less ego, without any tendency toward violence or aggression or falsehood. The awakened life energy

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2688-406: Is the mother of morality, because all morality springs from this awakened energy. Since the very beginning, it has been this evolutionary energy that has created the concept of morals in human beings. The American comparative religions scholar Joseph Campbell describes the concept of Kuṇḍalinī as "the figure of a coiled female serpent—a serpent goddess not of "gross" but "subtle" substance—which

2772-424: Is to be thought of as residing in a torpid, slumbering state in a subtle center, the first of the seven, near the base of the spine: the aim of the yoga then being to rouse this serpent, lift her head, and bring her up a subtle nerve or channel of the spine to the so-called "thousand-petaled lotus" ( Sahasrara ) at the crown of the head...She, rising from the lowest to the highest lotus center will pass through and wake

2856-475: The Khecarīvidyā , states that khechari mudra enables one to raise Kundalini and access the stores of amrita in the head, which subsequently flood the body. The spiritual teacher Meher Baba emphasized the need for a master when actively trying to awaken Kuṇḍalinī: Kundalini is a latent power in the higher body. When awakened, it pierces through six chakras or functional centers and activates them. Without

2940-701: The Padma Purana (consisting of 1,200 verses); Bhima-Mahatmya , also from the Padma Purana; and a third devotional work, yet again called Panduranga-Mahatmya , which is found in the Vishnu Purana . The "third tradition" is found in two works: Panduranga-Mahatmya by the Brahmin Sridhara (consisting of 750 verses), and another work of the same name written by Prahlada Maharaj (consisting of 181 verses). There are three versions of

3024-426: The srivatsa mark, a head-dress of peacock feathers, resting his hands on his hips and keeping his cow-stick between his thighs. Pundarika asks Krishna to remain in this form on the banks of the river Chandrabhaga. He believes that Krishna's presence will make the site a tirtha (a holy place near a water body) and a kshetra (a holy place near a temple). The location is identified with modern-day Pandharpur, which

3108-407: The "vibrational state" as components of their kundalini-related spiritual experience . He explains: There are numerous reports of full Kundalini experiences culminating with a transcendental out-of-body state of consciousness. In fact, many people consider this experience to be the ultimate path to enlightenment. The basic premise is to encourage the flow of Kundalini energy up the spine and toward

3192-590: The 15th century, and became widely used in the Yoga Upanishads by the 16th century. Eknath Easwaran has paraphrased the term as "the coiled power", a force which ordinarily rests at the base of the spine, described as being "coiled there like a serpent". Kuṇḍalinī arose as a central concept in Shaiva Tantra , especially among the Śākta sects like the Kaula . In these Tantric traditions, Kuṇḍalinī

3276-616: The Brahmin texts in Sanskrit , and the "third tradition" are Marathi texts written by Brahmins. The Varkari texts are: Bhaktalilamrita and Bhaktavijaya by Mahipati , Pundalika-Mahatmya by Bahinabai , and a long abhanga by Namdev . All these texts describe the legend of Pundalik. The Brahmin texts include: two versions of Panduranga-Mahatmya from the Skanda Purana (consisting of 900 verses); Panduranga-Mahatmya from

3360-523: The Goddess Kubjika (lit. "the crooked one"), who is the supreme Goddess ( Paradevi ). She is also pure bliss and power (Shakti), the source of all mantras, and resides in the six chakras along the central channel. In Shaiva Tantra, various practices like pranayama , bandhas , mantra recitation and tantric ritual were used in order to awaken this spiritual power and create a state of bliss and spiritual liberation. According to Abhinavagupta ,

3444-570: The Pundalik legend appears in Sridhara and as a variant in the Padma Purana. Pundalik, a Brahmin madly in love with his wife, neglected his aged parents as a result. Later, on meeting sage Kukkuta, Pundalik underwent a transformation and devoted his life to the service of his aged parents. Meanwhile, one day, Krishna comes to the forest Dandivana, near Pundalik's house, in search of his angry wife Rukmini , who has left him. After some coaxing, Rukmini

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3528-507: The Pundalik legend, two of which are attested as textual variants of the Skanda Purana (1.34–67). According to the first, the ascetic Pundarika (Pundalik) is described as a devotee of god Vishnu and dedicated to the service of his parents. The god Gopala -Krishna, a form of Vishnu, comes from Govardhana as a cowherd, accompanied by his grazing cows, to meet Pundarika. Krishna is described as in digambar form, wearing makara-kundala ,

3612-638: The Six Bodily Centers) written by Tantrik Pūrnānanda Svāmī (1526) and the Paduka-Pancakā from the Sanskrit of a commentary by Kālīcharana (Five-fold Footstool of the Guru). The Sanskrit term "Kundali Shakti" translates as "Serpent Power". Kundalini is thought to be an energy released within an individual using specific meditation techniques. It is represented symbolically as a serpent coiled at

3696-510: The Varkari's patron deity Vithoba and Tukaram. She reports being subjected to verbal and physical abuse by her husband, who despised her spiritual inclination but who finally accepted her chosen path of devotion ( bhakti ). Unlike most female-saints who never married or renounced their married life for God, Bahinabai remained married her entire life. Bahinabai's abhanga compositions, written in Marathi , focus on her troubled marital life and

3780-667: The Yogi, planes after planes reveal their existence and grandeur to the practitioner and the Yogi gets divine knowledge, power and bliss, in increasing degrees, when Kuṇḍalinī passes through Chakra after Chakra, making them to bloom in all their glory..." Yoga gurus consider that Kuṇḍalinī can be awakened by shaktipat (spiritual transmission by a Guru or teacher), or by spiritual practices such as yoga or meditation. There are two broad approaches to Kuṇḍalinī awakening: active and passive. The active approach involves systematic physical exercises and techniques of concentration, visualization, pranayama (breath practice) and meditation under

3864-461: The age of 72. Apart from her autobiography, Bahinabai composed abhangas , which deal with various subjects like praise of god Vithoba, Atman , Sad- guru , sainthood, Brahmanhood , and devotion. Bahinabai's abhanga compositions also focus on her troubled relationship with her husband, the conflict between husband and wife, and to certain extent its resolution. She even portrays her husband's hostile and harmful feelings with empathy. Unlike many of

3948-457: The base of the spine. When Woodroffe later commented upon the reception of his work he clarified his objective, "All the world (I speak of course of those interested in such subjects) is beginning to speak of Kundalinî Shakti." He described his intention as follows: "We, who are foreigners, must place ourselves in the skin of the Hindu, and must look at their doctrine and ritual through their eyes and not our own." Western awareness of Kuṇḍalinī

4032-424: The calf and Bahinabai. When Bahinabai's husband heard of the incident, he dragged Bahinabai by her hair, beat and tied her up in the house. Following this, the calf and the cow gave up food and water leading to the former's death. At its burial, Bahinabai fainted and lay unconscious for days. She awoke with her first vision of the Varkari's patron deity Vithoba and later of her contemporary poet-saint Tukaram. Following

4116-695: The center of the spinal cord is the Sushumna. ... The canal is closed at the lower end, ... near what is called the sacral plexus... The different plexuses that have their centers in the spinal canal can very well stand for the different "lotuses" of the Yogi. When Kuṇḍalinī Shakti is conceived as a goddess, then, when it rises to the head, it unites itself with the Supreme Being of ( Lord Shiva ). The aspirant then becomes engrossed in deep meditation and infinite bliss. Paramahansa Yogananda in his book God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita states: At

4200-463: The city which hosts the chief temple of Vithoba, in this period. By the age of eleven, she with her family finally settled in Kolhapur . She was "subjected to the demands of married life" at this age, but she was not into it. In Kolhapur, Bahinabai was exposed to Hari- Kirtana songs and tales from the scripture Bhagavata Purana . Here, Bahinabai's husband was gifted a cow, who soon gave birth to

4284-449: The command of the yogi in deep meditation, this creative force turns inward and flows back to its source in the thousand-petaled lotus, revealing the resplendent inner world of the divine forces and consciousness of the soul and spirit. Yoga refers to this power flowing from the coccyx to spirit as the awakened kundalini. Paramahansa Yogananda also states: The yogi reverses the searchlights of intelligence, mind and life force inward through

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4368-433: The duties of a married woman. Some abhangas extol the merits of a pativrata , others advocate pure devotion to God which may lead to the ire of society. Others advocate the compromise. She also speaks of pravrtti (action) and nivrtti (quiescence), personified as wives of manas (the mind). Both of them argue over their own superiority, winning a particular moment in the debate and finally reconciling and together directing

4452-615: The exact time of his birth is not provided, but he is mentioned in a later part of her autobiography. Finally the family moved to Shirur , where Bahinabai practised a vow of silence for a while. In 1649, on Tukaram's death, Bahinabai revisited Dehu and fasted for eighteen days where, according to the traditional account, she was blessed with a vision of Tukaram again. She then visited the saint Ramdas and stayed in his company until his death in 1681. Afterwards she returned to Shirur. In last sections of her autobiography, Bahinabai says she has "seen her death". She prophesied her death and wrote

4536-457: The five between, and with each waking, the psychology and personality of the practitioner will be altogether and fundamentally transformed." According to the Gorakṣaśataka , or "Hundred Verses of Goraksa", hatha yoga practices such as the mudras mula bandha , uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha , and the pranayama practice of kumbhaka can awaken Kundalini. Another hatha yoga text,

4620-506: The force inseparable from consciousness, who animates creation and who, in her particularised form in the body, causes liberation through her upward, illusion-shattering movement. Despite mostly being associated with Shaiva and Shakta traditions, the concept of Kundalini Shakti is not at all alien to Vaishnavism . Narada Pancharatra, A popular Vaishnava text gives a detailed, although somewhat different description of Chakras and Kundalini Shakti. According to William F. Williams, kuṇḍalinī

4704-545: The founder of the Varkari sect and the one who promulgated the sect in Maratha country. Frazer, Edwards and P.R. Bhandarkar (1922) suggest that Pundalik tried to unify Shiva and Vishnu, and that this culture originated in Karnataka. Ranade (1933) thinks that Pundalik, a Kannada saint, was not only the founder of the Varkari culture but also the first great devotee or first high priest of the Pandharpur temple. Upadhyaya supports

4788-580: The great tantric scholar and master of the Kaula and Trika lineages, there are two main forms of Kuṇḍalinī, an upward moving Kuṇḍalinī ( urdhva ) associated with expansion, and a downward moving Kuṇḍalinī ( adha ) associated with contraction. According to the scholar of comparative religion Gavin Flood , Abhinavagupta links Kuṇḍalinī with "the power that brings into manifestation the body, breath, and experiences of pleasure and pain", with "the power of sexuality as

4872-403: The guidance of a competent teacher. These techniques come from any of the main branches of yoga, and some forms of yoga, such as Kriya yoga and Kundalini yoga , which emphasize Kuṇḍalinī techniques. The passive approach is instead a path of surrender where one lets go of all the impediments to the awakening rather than trying to actively awaken Kuṇḍalinī. A chief part of the passive approach

4956-399: The historicity of Pundalik altogether, and dismissed him as a mythical figure. In his analysis of the text Panduranga mahatmya by Sridhar (discussed in "Legend" section ahead), Raeside says that the legend of devotee Pundalik could have been nothing more a derivative of Puranic legend. Dhanpalvar strongly agreed with this possibility. Vaudeville found the legend of the Pundalik of Pandharpur

5040-425: The hypothesis is that the memorial shrine of Pundalik is a Shaiva shrine, rather than a Vaishnava one, compromising of a Shiva- linga , the symbol of god Shiva. Texts, that narrate the legend of Pundalik and Vithoba, can be categorised into the Varkari tradition, the Brahmin tradition and what Raeside calls a "third tradition", that includes both Varkari and Brahmin elements. The Varkari texts are written in Marathi ,

5124-416: The incident, she had another vision of the duo that revived her from the sorrow of the calf's death. In these visions, Tukaram fed her nectar and taught her the mantra "Rama-Krishna-Hari". Thereafter, Bahinabai pronounced Tukaram as her guru. In her visions, Tukaram initiated her into the path of bhakti (devotion) and instructed her to recite the name of Vithoba. Some people considered her behaviour as

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5208-432: The mantra, I noticed that my breathing was getting heavier. Suddenly, I felt a great impact of a rising force within me. The intensity of this rising kundalini force was so tremendous that my body lifted up a little and fell flat into the aisle; my eyeglasses flew off. As I lay there with my eyes closed, I could see a continuous fountain of dazzling white lights erupting within me. In brilliance, these lights were brighter than

5292-410: The mind to its ultimate goal. In her own life, Bahinabai sought to balance these two: pravrtti – the duties of a virtuous wife and nivrtti – renunciation of the world. Bahinabai sometimes curses her fate of being born as a woman, which author Tharu interprets as "her scepticism, her rebelliousness and her insistent refusal to abandon her aspiration for the truth". She regrets her female birth as she

5376-512: The need for the grace of a Perfect Master. In his book, Building a Noble World , Shiv R. Jhawar describes his Shaktipat experience at Muktananda's public program at Lake Point Tower in Chicago on 16 September 1974 as follows: Baba [Swami Muktananda] had just begun delivering his discourse with his opening statement: 'Today's subject is meditation. ... 'Kundalini starts dancing when one repeats Om Namah Shivaya.' Hearing this, I mentally repeated

5460-555: The priest theory but declines the Kannada origin theory. Tulpule also accepted the theory that Pundalik was the historical founder of the Varkari sect, though declines to fix a date for him due to "lack of authentic evidence". According to M. S. Mate, Pundalik was instrumental in coaxing the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana to build the Pandharpur temple to Vishnu, placing him in the early 12th century. Deleury (1960) believes Pundalik

5544-445: The process of individuation, with sensitivity towards a new generation's interest in alternative religions and psychological exploration." In the introduction to Jung's book The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga , Sonu Shamdasani puts forth: "The emergence of depth psychology was historically paralleled by the translation and widespread dissemination of the texts of yoga... for the depth psychologies sought to liberate themselves from

5628-399: The regret being born a woman. Bahinabai was always torn between her duties to her husband and her devotion to Vithoba. Her poetry mirrors her compromise between her devotion to her husband and God. Bahinabai has written an autobiographical work called Atmamanivedana or Bahinibai Gatha , where she describes not only her current birth but also twelve previous births. The first 78 verses of

5712-427: The source of reproduction" and with: the force of the syllable ha in the mantra and the concept of aham , the supreme subjectivity as the source of all, with a as the initial movement of consciousness and m its final withdrawal. Thus we have an elaborate series of associations, all conveying the central conception of the cosmos as a manifestation of consciousness, of pure subjectivity, with Kuṇḍalinī understood as

5796-477: The stone god Vitthal (Vithoba) and the dream saint Tuka (Tukaram) deprive me of the happiness I know? The family of Bahinabai went to Dehu , the home-town of Tukaram and paid their respects to him. Here, the brahmin Bahinabai's acceptance of the lower caste Sudra Tukaram as her guru, agitated local brahmins, which led to harassment of the family and threatening of ostracism. In Dehu, Bahinabai gave birth to

5880-482: The stultifying limitations of Western thought to develop maps of inner experience grounded in the transformative potential of therapeutic practices. A similar alignment of "theory" and "practice" seemed to be embodied in the yogic texts that moreover had developed independently of the bindings of Western thought. Further, the initiatory structure adopted by institutions of psychotherapy brought its social organization into proximity with that of yoga. Hence, an opportunity for

5964-468: The sun but possessed no heat at all. I was experiencing the thought-free state of "I am", realizing that "I" have always been, and will continue to be, eternal. I was fully conscious and completely aware while I was experiencing the pure "I am", a state of supreme bliss. Outwardly, at that precise moment, Baba delightfully shouted from his platform, ‘I didn't do anything. The Energy has caught someone.' ' The experience of Kuṇḍalinī awakening can happen when one

6048-594: The symbol of the Kundalini energy, although in Hinduism, the same energy is believed to spiritually dwell in all. The brick on which Vitthala is standing is the chakra of Kundalini energy known as the Muladhara Chakra. Both hands, like bows, represents Ida and Pingla nadis , which cross over at the central body of Sushumna or Brahma nadi . The body represents purusha, meaning Vishnu or Krishna , and

6132-547: The symbolism of Kuṇḍalinī yoga suggested that the bizarre symptomatology that patients at times presented, actually resulted from the awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī. He argued that knowledge of such symbolism enabled much that would otherwise be seen as the meaningless by-products of a disease process to be understood as meaningful symbolic processes, and explicated the often peculiar physical localizations of symptoms. Bahinabai Bahinabai (1628–1700 AD) or Bahina or Bahini

6216-577: The tilaka, or the mark on his head, represents Ajna Chakra (also known as the guru chakra or third-eye chakra), a subtle center of energy that is believed to be located between the eyebrows and along the spinal column, as said by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita . Pundalik is a historical figure, connected with the establishment and propagation of the Vithoba-centric Varkari sect. Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar considers Pundalik to be

6300-420: The top of the head—the crown chakra —thus projecting your awareness into the higher heavenly dimensions of the universe. The result is an indescribable expansion of consciousness into spiritual realms beyond form and thought. Sri Aurobindo was the other great scholarly authority on Kuṇḍalinī, with a viewpoint parallel to that of Woodroffe but of a somewhat different slant - this according to Mary Scott, herself

6384-507: The total 473 trace her current life. As per the account, she was born in Deogaon (Rangari) or Devgaon (R) near Ellora or Verul in northern Maharashtra, where she spent her childhood. Her parents, Aaudev Kulkarni and Janaki were brahmins , the Hindu priest class, and considered their first child Bahinabai as a harbinger of good fortune. Bahinabai started reciting the names of God from an early age, while playing with her mates. Bahinabai

6468-442: The woman-saints of the period, Bahinabai remained married her entire life, dutifully serving her husband, balancing her roles pativrata (a devoted wife) and virakta (the detached). Bahinabai does not revolt against social traditions and believed denouncement of the world is not the solution to a woman's suffering. Her poetry reflects her compromise between her devotion to her husband and her god Vithoba. Bahinabai also comments on

6552-507: Was a mystic, influenced by the Vaishnava Haridasa sect of Karnataka , who brought a drastic change in the worship of Vithoba. Pundalik not only founded the Varkari sect, but also was the first to identify Vithoba with the god Vishnu . Pundalik's fame also led to naming of Pandharpur to Paundrika-kshetra - the sacred place of Pundalik. Other scholars like Raeside (1965), Dhanpalvar (1972), and Vaudeville (1974) have questioned

6636-518: Was kept away from the knowledge of the holy scriptures like Vedas and sacred mantras , by the male-dominated brahmin society. Bahinabai sings in her abhanga: The Vedas cry aloud, the Puranas shout "No good may come to woman." I was born with a woman's body How am I to attain Truth? "They are foolish, seductive and deceptive – Any connection with a woman is disastrous." Bahina says, "If

6720-495: Was married at the age of three with a thirty-year-old widower called Gangadhar Pathak, who she describes as a scholar and "an excellent jewel of a man", but stayed with parents until she reached puberty as per the custom. When Bahinabai was about nine years old, she with her parents and husband, had to leave Devghaon due to a family dispute. They wandered with pilgrims along the banks of river Godavari and begged for grain, as customarily wandering holy men do. They visited Pandharpur ,

6804-444: Was more important than devoting herself to (another) god." Bahinabai writes: I'll serve my husband – he's my god ... My husband's my guru; my husband's my way this is my heart's true resolve. If my husband goes off, renouncing the world, Pandurang (Vithoba), what good will it do me to live among men? ... My husband's the soul; I'm the body ... My husband's the water; I'm a fish in it. How can I survive? ... Why should

6888-873: Was pacified. Then Krishna visited Pundalik and found Pundalik serving his parents. Pundalik threw a brick outside for Krishna to stand on. Krishna stood on the brick and waited for Pundalik. After completing his services, Pundalik asked that his deity, in the Vithoba form - waiting arms-akimbo on the brick, remain on the brick with Rukmini, in Rakhumai form, and bless his devotees forever. Bhandarkar, Ramakrishna Gopal (1995) [1913]. Vaiṣṇavism, Śaivism, and Minor Religious Systems . Asian Educational Services. pp. 124–27. ISBN   81-206-0122-X . Kundalini In Hinduism , kundalini ( Sanskrit : कुण्डलिनी , romanized :  kuṇḍalinī , lit.   'coiled snake', pronunciation )

6972-596: Was strengthened by the interest of Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung (1875–1961). "Jung's seminar on Kundalini yoga presented to the Psychological Club in Zurich in 1932 was widely regarded as a milestone in the psychological understanding of Eastern thought and of the symbolic transformations of inner experience. Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the developmental phases of higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of

7056-598: Was very similar to the legend of Pundarika, the devotee of Vishnu, in the Hindu epic Mahabharata . The religious historian R.C. Dhere , winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Sri Vitthal: Ek Mahasamanvaya , opines that identification of Vithoba with Vishnu led to conversion of the Shaiva (related to god Shiva ) Pundarika shrine to the Vaishnava shrine of the devotee Pundalik. The main argument of

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